Suraj Mal’s Conquest of Haryana
The third battle of Panipat was followed by a comparative calm – a quiet of exhaustion; Northern India at least ceased for some time to be the battle-field of the Afghan and the Maratha. Panipat had only shattered the extravagant dream of the Marathas but brought no permanent peace to Islam. The moment the Maratha was overthrown, the Jat came in and challenged her victorious champion who, weary and exhausted, shrank from the contest and retired beyond the Indus. The stubborn Jat courage revived confidence in the prostrated Hindu mind, and Islam was again thrown on the defensive.
Suraj Mal wanted to seize these few moments of his enemies respite for carrying out his twofold object which he had long in view; first to interpose a solid block of a Jat confederacy between the Abdali and the Ruhelas, extending from Ravi to the Jamuna; secondly to expel Najib-ud-daula from Delhi, restore his protégé the ex-wazir Ghazi-ud-din to his former position and power, and control the policy of empire through him. But he decided not to attack Delhi first but simply cover it during his contemplated campaign. He sought the expansion of his dominion in the tract of Haryana dominated by powerful Muslim jagirdars and the districts around Delhi, mainly inhabited by the Jats.
Suraj Mal was active in annexations in the following two years 1762 and 1763. Suraj Mal sent his eldest son Maharaja Jawahar Singh to conquer Haryana while another army was sent under his youngest son Nahar Singh, to establish his authority in Doab, and watch the movement of the eastern Ruhela chiefs.
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